Fluffy Bugs and Spotted Cats
by shiningwaves
Summary: Adrien Agreste is the unluckiest boy in all of Paris. Marinette is the luckiest. Fate likes its balance, so what is it's counterbalance? If Adrien were a bit luckier, Marinette would be a black cat. It all adds up, in the end. (AU Chat Noir!Marinette and Adrien!Ladybug)
1. Chapter 1

Adrien Agreste was the luckiest kid in all of Paris.

As member of of the prestigious Agreste family, blessed with his good looks, holding a promising career in modeling, having all the money he could ever need and the heart of every teenage girl in Paris, Adrien Agreste was the symbol of perfection. But of course, that's only if you asked someone else.

If you asked Adrien Agreste himself, he probably wouldn't tell you that he's actually the unluckiest kid in all of Paris. He doesn't want to tell you, that with his late mother, absent father, and lack of any true friends and connections to speak of; that he's always wished for a bit more luck in his own life.

In hindsight, Adrien probably should have never opened the little box. Of course, it looked safe, and he did think it was a gift from his father, but the strange markings should have been a huge red flag.

The small floating creature that also came from the strange box should have also been a really _big_ , really _red_ , red flag.

"Tikki, you're nice and all, but in all honesty, this is the worst idea I've ever had. I think you're a bad influence." he sighed.

Tikki giggled, "Adrien, being Paris's hero does not always come for free. Just think of the end goal, you will get to be a hero!"

In response, Adrien groaned. This day was by far the weirdest of his life. First he's visited by a small genie, that indeed does _not_ inhabit a lamp but a pair of small earrings (Aladdin did not prepare him enough for this). Then, she tells him that he can be a superhero, and gives him the whole run down of how it works, but all he can think of is how he's going to be a magical girl from Sailor Moon.

The real red flag though should have been the earrings. The earrings for god's sake. How was the unluckiest boy in Paris, granted the lucky miracle _earrings_? Bad luck, that's how.

Which brings us back to the current situation of his now bleeding ears.

 _Father's going to kill me_ , is his only thought.

"Look Adrien, it's stopped bleeding. You should be alright, so long as it doesn't get infected." she said, hovering around his ears. "That being said, I don't think I've ever had a wielder that doesn't already have her ears pierced... You were probably chosen for your kind personality!" Tikki smiled as she bobbled in the air.

Adrien loved Tikki's happy-go-lucky personality. Even though he'd only known the small red and black kwami for a solid half hour, he'd felt as though she was the most honest being he'd ever spoken to. But her last comment had struck a chord in him, and made him feel a bit uneasy about the current situation.

He shot her a quizzical look, "So, you didn't choose me, Tikki?"

"No, the wielders of the Miraculous are chosen by the Guardian. He releases the Miraculous when the world is in danger, and if the user is compatible with the Miraculous, than the kwami will appear. If not, then they are just a useless piece of costume jewelry, I suppose."

The room was silent for a moment, before the television cut back in.

"- _Stoneheart is heading towards the Montparnasse tower. The monster seems to be unstoppable_." He hadn't even realized it was still on.

"Well Tikki, I guess that's our cue." he smirked at the small kawami.

Realization dawned on Tikki's face, and her eyes widened as she tore her eyes from the TV and swiveled back around towards him, "No! Wait! I haven't finished explaining!"

"Spots On!"

* * *

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the unluckiest girl in all of Paris.

She was clumsy, came from a family of low status, had confidence issues, and always seemed to get stuck in the same class as Chloe Bourgeois year after year. But of course, that was only if you asked the mayor's daughter herself.

If you asked Marinette, she would probably tell you that she was the luckiest girl in all of Paris. With her loving family, eccentric best friend, and a hopeful career in fashion, Marinette really had it all.

That is, until some form of higher power decided she just had too much.

Marinette didn't really know why the universe gave her an indifferent talking cat, all she knew was that it could fly, and that it also kind of resembled a small kitten. So, she did the only logical thing she could think of and threw the first thing her hand could reach at it.

"Ahh! What on earth are you! A floating cat? A really large bug?!"

The cat seemed very unimpressed by her actions, and merely dodged the onslaught.

"Look, I'm a kwami. And I've already told you...I grant powers. Yours is the power of destruction. Got it?"

Marinette refused to answer as she continued to inch her way closer to a glass cup that sat atop her desk. Now it was talking? She was still pretty unsure and freaked out about the universe and it's kwami prophet, but she decided to give it the benefit of the doubt since he didn't seem to want anything from her.

Suddenly, in a flurry of motion, she made a grab for the glass and brought it down on the catbug (kwami?) creature that was now moving about her room. With the cat now successfully pinned, she was able to get a good, up close look at him.

"Now, got anything to eat? I'm starving…" the kwami said, voice muffled by the glass separating the two.

"Umm.. we have a few things down in the bakery, I guess." She looked at him, head cocked to the side, unsure of what to call the small kwami.

"Names Plagg. And I can't be seen downstairs by anyone. You can't tell people about me." he looked at her, eyes narrowed, challenging. There was nothing Marinette loved more than a challenge (hence, Bourgeois). The demon continued to talk, and now that the spawn of satan himself was contained, she felt more inclined to listen. She sat for a moment, blue eyes gazing into his green, and the reality of the situation soon dawned on her.

"This _has_ to be some kind of mistake. I'm not really cut out to be any kind of superhero. I'm far too clumsy to save people, let alone wield the power of destruction!" She paused. "I know! You should ask my friend Alya, she loves this kind of stuff, and she's a lot more responsible than I... am, and probably wouldn't trip up the stairs..." She trailed off, as she realized Plagg had somehow escaped the glass prison and wasn't listening to her and was instead rummaging through her things.

The kwami must have been actually listening, because he turned around and faced her, and seemed to debate with himself for a moment. "Look kid, you gotta trust me. You're not gonna be alone in this, you'll have Ladybug. She's the one that does all the heavy lifting, you just gotta help her out. But the important thing that you need to know is that she can't do this without you. If not you for this Miraculous, than no one."

That seemed to be a bit more than Plagg was willing to say, as he turned around broodily and continued searching through her things.

Every now and then, Plagg would feed her little tidbits of information and seemed to purposely leave out as many details as possible as he rounded about her room (what was he searching for?) about the ring that lay in the box.

"And you have to say Cataclysm."

"Cataclysm?"

"Yeah that's what I said. This ability can…."

Marinette continued to sit on the floor, unmoving as she continued to look at the ring, thinking. Despite what Plagg was telling her, this superhero business seemed like too much to process way too fast. Ivan, a member of her class, was currently a villain against his will. Now Ivan was rampaging through the streets of Paris and _she_ was supposed to stop him? And with what? Cataclysm? A ring? Marinette didn't trust herself enough to walk down two steps in her house to get down to the kitchen, let alone wield the power to destroy anything she touched.

"Ladybug is your partner. She has the power of luck and the power to-"

"Ladybug?"

"Yeah, kid. Are you even listening? Geez…"

"Well, if Ladybug has the power of luck, why do I have the power of bad luck? How is having _bad luck_ supposed to help anyone in a battle, besides getting them killed?" She asked, looking up, surprised to see Plagg hovering near her face.

She was also surprised when she saw Plagg's expression immediately become unreadable at the mention of her comment.

"That's just the thing, kid. Have you ever heard the saying, too much of a good thing is a bad thing? It's like that. The power of bad luck just may get you killed someday, if you're not careful." He paused for a moment, wrapping his arms around his small body as if to distance himself from the situation. "But you're smart, and I think you should be okay." Plagg finished. Marinette held the cat's gaze for a bit longer, and in his sea green eyes, she could see his inner turmoil; ageless wisdom and knowledge catching her by surprise.

Plagg tore his gaze away and replaced his expression once more with one of indifference.

 _Back to business_ , she thought idly.

She looked back down at the ring, that now lay upon her right ring finger. Marinette briefly heard the kwami roll back into his summary of how to properly use the Miraculous in the background, but now she was too distracted to listen. She felt haunted by Plagg's grimm words of advice, for this new power she was bestowed. She didn't feel _afraid_ of the power anymore, but worried. Worried for Plagg, and her family, and the mysterious Ladybug she was supposed to be partnered to.

"-and all you have to say is- claws out."

She looked up from her speculation. " _Claws… Out?_ "

* * *

The first action Adrien took as a superhero was checking himself out in the mirror. When he gazed into the reflective pane, he saw a boy, with a stupid grin illuminating his face. But the person in the mirror dressed in a red and black skintight suit soon became the least of his concerns, as a sudden electric energy filled his body. He was suddenly overcome with the pressing desire to run and jump. So that's exactly what he did- straight out the open window.

The second action Adrien took as a ladybug themed superhero was realizing that even though he was a ladybug, he honestly couldn't fly.

The free fall lasted mere moments as he lived only on the second story, and by the time he had remembered to use the magical yo-yo Tikki had told him about, he hit the ground.  
 _Well, that could have gone worse_  
He stood once the pain dissipated and realized that he was okay. Adrien still felt the surging energy that he felt earlier, despite the two story fall that would usually cause a few broken bones. Perhaps Tikki _was_ a magical genie after all.

 _Note to self: never do that again_

Soon he was back on his feet and soaring above rooftops, kissing the sky and speeding through the city. After the falling fiasco he figured he should rely more on his magical counterpart, and he soon felt his muscles moving on their own accord as if he had done this a thousand times. He let out a shrill laugh. The air whipped violently past him as he cut through it like a sword- not bending to the will of the wind but to his own. The freeing sensation burst from his core as he felt completely elated.

Nothing could stop him…

Well, until something actually did stop him.

Something black and fast rammed into him from above, forcing his forward inertia to send him spiraling back to the ground. Again.

He briefly heard a scream, but he was too busy falling to decipher if it was his own or the black ball of destruction or both.

To top it off, the black projectile also decided to land on him. In this moment, all Adrien could think of was that his bad luck had somehow broken his lucky Miraculous, and now the world's wrath had been unleashed upon him.

He heard a groan above him. He cracked his eyes open, and looked up to see blue sky. He probably had a double concussion now, and his swirling eye sight focused in on the strangly luminescent sky that stared back. _Eyes_ , he thought. At a loss for words, Adrien lay there completely speechless as he stared into the newcomer's eyes.

A few awkward moments passed, and then the girl hastily pushed herself up off the ground and back up onto her feet. Her sky blue eyes seemed to glow as they darted around the street, steadily avoiding his own. The girl took on a nervous posture, as if she herself could also not believe these odds. He watched as a hand went to push a stray curl out of her eyes, as she seemed to give up avoiding his gaze to finally meet his own.

Her dark blue hair was all pushed to one side in a wild and unruly fashion. The wavy locks had framed her face and a few rebellious strands fell into her face. Her pale skin was contrasted by black leather and…. Was that a catsuit?

Tentatively, a clawed hand was offered to him, and he stood.

"Ahh.. umm.. I-I'm so sorry, err… I wasn't really paying attention…" she said as she shrank under his gaze. The cat ears that adorned her head pinned back and her tail swished back and forth anxiously.

This was the partner that Tikki informed him of. That much was obvious. He didn't want to make her nervous, especially if they were going to work together.

 _Quick, say something smooth_

Without thinking, he leaned forward, "Don't worry kitty, I think we're both just _winging_ it."

The awkwardness immediately dissipated from her face, as she deadpanned. "Was that supposed to be a bug pun?"

He ignored her remark as he continued on, "I'm…. hmm. Well, I didn't think this through. I'm Ladybug. Nice of you to _drop_ in."

She started laughing, and he was proud of his impressive pun. But his mood quickly dampered as he realized the true source of the amusement.

"You're Ladybug? _Lady_ -bug? I'm sorry _my lady_ , but you're not a lady…."

Despite his mild annoyance and embarrassment, be was drawn back to her glowing eyes, full of mirth.

He couldn't help but smile as she twirled her tail, her earlier nervousness completely gone. "Ladybug, huh? Hmmmm…. Chat Noir, at your service, _my lady_." She dramatized with a bow.

Adrien shot her a glare, aghast. He should have known it would come to this. "I resent that. Anyways, Paris isn't going to save itself, Sir Bigglesworth. Let's go."

Before he could do something to make her nervous again, he swung away toward the sounds of destruction. He spared a short glance behind him to make sure Chat Noir would follow. He saw the cat themed superheroine making her way behind him awkwardly via extendable baton.

He quickly sourced the villain to be in the parisian stadium a few blocks away from the school. Without hesitation, he swung straight into the battleground, and hooked the yo-yo wire around Stoneheart's fist, seconds before it could be brought down on a nearby civilian.

He retracted the weapon as soon as he had the rocky monster's attention. "Man, you really need to work on that _rocky_ attitude of yours. You need to calm down, you're starting to look like _schist_." he smirked.

"Shut up, or I'll crush you like a little bug." the villain replied, finding no humor in Adrien's remarks.

A purple butterfly-esque mask appeared on the adversary's face.

 _Strange_ , he thought. He took the villain's distracted moment to desperately search for his less lucky partner, to find only a lone civilian recording the fight.

 _Really? At a time like this._

The mask quickly dissipated, and Stoneheart was back in control. Stoneheart reached for the futbol goal behind him, and chucked it at the new offender. Ladybug took up a defensive stance and stealthily dodged.

"Heh, missed m-" he cut off, as he remembered the innocent girl who was recording behind him. Time felt like it slowed down as he released the yo-yo and hooked it onto the goal, giving the cord a mighty yank. The tumbling post stopped in its tracks and clattered to the ground, and Adrien's arm ached from the sudden strain.

He turned back around to the stoney monster, only to find a rocky fist as big as himself clenched around his midsection. He looked around desperately for an escape, but with his hands pinned to his sides he was without his primary weapon.

 _Not like it would help anyway._ His arm felt good as broken.

"What are you waiting for super black cat?! The world is watching you!"

The source of the voice came from the girl who _literally_ almost got crushed ( _why won't she just get out of here?_ ). He followed her gaze to the top of the stadium where he found his cat-partner looking extremely indecisive and nervous once again. He desperately wanted to yell at her to come save him because Stoneheart's grip on him seemed to be getting tighter and tighter by the moment, but he knew that anything he said would just make her even more nervous than she already was.

As she hesitantly assessed the situation, their eyes found each other. He guessed she saw the blatant desperation in his eyes, or maybe it was the small pained smile he gave her, but soon her face morphed into determination and the resolve hardened in her eyes as she lept into action.

She was so fast his eyes could hardly track her. She flew underneath Stoneheart and used her baton as a lever to knock him off balance and eventually release Ladybug. He regrouped with her on the other side of the field.

"Er.. Sorry it took so long for me to get here." She looked at him apologetically.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "It's alright Kitty, let's just take care of this guy."

He took up a stance to leap away, but was quickly stopped by Chat Noir. Adrien looked at the gloved hand encased around his forearm, and then at the girl. He looked back to her eyes and saw a different person from the one that had met him in a head on collision earlier. He quickly decided, that he liked this new, more confident version of Chat Noir much better.

"I think it's time we use our special abilities, 'bug."she said, steadily.

"Oh, thats right. I forgot." he chuckled. Grabbing his yo-yo, he threw it up in the air as Tikki had instructed earlier.

With a quick Lucky Charm, he was given a…. Wetsuit? Was this some kind of joke?

He looked at Chat and laughed, handing it to her. "Here you go kitty, I heard cats don't like to get wet."

The cat carefully took the suit, and he could see the gears turning in her head. She looked back to him, a crafty smirk adorning her face.

Adrien Agreste was suddenly overcome with the powerful sensation that he was completely fucked.

"I have an idea, but you're not going to like it." was all she said. Why was he ever worried about her not warming up to him.

 _I'm so screwed._

Without asking for his consent, or even giving him the slightest warning, Chat Noir swiftly picked his small bug self up and through him at Stoneheart. Wasn't _Ladybug_ supposed to be the non sacrificial goat? He gave his black-clad traitor partner a murderous glance as he was _once again_ in the hands of Stoneheart.

"One down and one to go, cat!" Stoneheart yelled. Since Stoneheart's hand was currently occupied by Ladybug, Stoneheart uncurled his right hand as he went to grab the other futbol goal and throw it at Chat. From Stoneheart's left hand, dropped a smaller, rounded rock.

 _The akuma_ , he thought.

He looked up, and saw the goal, hurling towards Chat. Suddenly, panic overwhelmed his senses. "Chat! Look out!" He yelled helplessly. He squirmed in Stoneheart's grip, desperate to get away and do _something._

Chat didn't even move a muscle. Ladybug watched in horror, as the solid bar on the goal continued to twist dangerously towards the girl, and that girl stood her ground.

"CHAT! MOVE!" he screamed horsely, but it seemed like his voice fell on deaf ears. She wasn't even looking at him, her eyes were steadily trained on the incoming flying mess. Was she afraid? Could she not move because she felt overwhelmed?

Just before the projectile could meet its target, the entire object disintegrated before his eyes. Chat stood amidst the flying debris and dust, completely unharmed. _I guess that's her power?_ , he thought. He was deftly torn between crying in relief and punching someone.

"Why…. don't you just keep getting _boulder_? Alya! Hit the tap!" Chat Noir said over her shoulder, to the civilian who was _still here_ (jesus christ).

It took Adrien a moment to realize that the wetsuit was also here with him in Stoneheart's mighty fist. He didn't have time to ponder about how he didn't notice the suit right next to him, because in the next moment, water exploded all around him.

Yeah, maybe he was free now, but that still made no part of this situation okay. Even if Chat's plan was completely brilliant, no amount of oscar-worthy five second devised plan could make him feel any bit better as he was drowned in a sea of raging water.

Now that he was on the ground, he made haste of breaking the akumatized object and releasing the butterfly. Both heros stood side by side as they watched the black butterfly flutter off into the distance.

Ladybug turned and looked at his partner. "Chat, please. Don't _ever_ do that again."

Chat Noir turned to look curiously up at her partner, "Do what?"

"The cataclysm. You _threw_ me. We're supposed to be a team and you just… When you didn't move, and I couldn't even… I…" Adrien trailed off, unsure of how to fully express how worried he was for her. And all around useless. So many thoughts about what had just happened were flashing through his head, and he was having trouble still putting them together. So, he decided to just give up on what he was saying.

"Kitty, just promise me you'll never do that again."

Chat stared at him for a moment, taking in what he said, face full of wonder. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure what to say, "Ladybug, I-"

"Hey! Are you two going to be Paris's new superheros? Are you a manbug? How did you both get your powers? Were you bitten by a rabid cat? Radioactive ladybug? Oh, this is so unreal! I have so many questions to ask you… mr...mrs…?" Alya trailed off, phone camera held up expectantly at the duo.

Adrien stepped forward, with a model smile and a friendly wave, "Ladybug, and this is my partner, Chat Noir. We'll be protecting Paris from now on."

As the two Miraculouses beat in warning, the pair shared a nod and headed off in opposite directions.

"Kid, you worry too much. Now, pass me that cheese."

"Plagg, you're no help at all." Marinette said to the cat kwami as she lay atop her loft bed, staring at the ceiling.

"See, this is why I like cheese so much. Cheese doesn't cause any drama. It listens to you when you talk, and it always has the best comfort food when you're sad. The perfect middle man." He said, shoving the entire cheese wedge into his mouth. While the miraculous ring was truly a magical item to be marvelled, the real miracle was Plagg's digestive system, and how he fit food twice his size into his mouth.

Marinette ignored Plagg as he landed on her stomach and proceeded to stretch out like a cat and fall asleep. "You don't understand Plagg, I really messed up today. I mean, just when I started acting normal around Ladybug, I went and screwed up. Again." She let out a long sigh, upset she couldn't move now with him on top of her. "Now he's upset with me, and now our dynamics going to be messed up- all because of me. He'll never trust me again."

She was answered with silence. Plagg was probably tired with all of her ranting.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glare of the ring upon her finger. She lifted her hand up to get a better look at it, holding the appendage above her head. She looked at the blank plane of the silver ring, and she felt it looking back at her. This object, why was it given to her? By whom? Marinette was never really a firm believer in god, but she did believe in fate and destiny. Was she truly destined to receive this object? Perhaps some kind of cosmic fluke had made a mistake. Plagg had said she was the only one who could wield this power. That she needed it to save Paris, and to help Ladybug.

But to help Ladybug- she never really felt like she was of any help to the Lucky hero. Today, maybe she did come up with the plan to retrieve the akuma, but she also made Ladybug upset. It was Ladybug's Lucky Charm that had saved them both, and it was Marinette's Cataclysm that had caused him so much grief.

" _We're supposed to be a team"_

Ladybug's parting words echoed throughout her head. No part of her plan involved herself working with the spotted hero directly. In fact, Marinette _used_ Ladybug.

Oh god, she used her _partner_? What must he think of her? He probably hated her, and at the very least, he probably didn't want to work with her anymore.

What a mess.

Marinette sighed and rolled over- waking up Plagg.

"Hey," he yawned, "I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?"

Far too exhausted with herself to mention that he ate exactly 2 minutes ago, she stood and made the long trek down to the kitchen, where her parents sat, watching the television. She made to open the fridge, only to be cut off by the sound of the news reporter on the TV.

" _-just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital, as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into stone monsters!"_

Marinette's eyes widened that the news, sharing a brief look with Plagg before grabbing a new round of cheese and rushing back up to her room.

She hastily closed the trapdoor, "Why are people still turning back into akumas? I thought we got rid of Stoneheart!" She looked at Plagg, fuming.

"Did Ladybug purify the akuma?"

"Er- no… He only released it by breaking the inhabited object?"

Plagg sighed, and looked at her, thoughtfully. "Only Ladybug can capture and purify the akuma. If the akuma is not captured after its release, it can return to Hawkmoth and multiply."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with the new stone beings?"

"If Ivan experiences negative emotions again, he can turn back into Stoneheart, and he will be able to control all the other Stone beings."

Marinette sat on her desk chair, spinning it around slowly in thought. This whole situation was her fault. Again. If she hadn't-

"C'mon kid. We've been over this. It wasn't even your fault this time-."

"Plagg! I _was_ the reason Ladybug forgot though. If I hadn't…. If I…." tears began to well up in Marinette's eyes, as she trailed off.

She felt so _weak._ _Useless._ She wasn't good enough to be Ladybug's partner, she wasn't strong enough to be Paris's savior. If she had worked with Ladybug, they wouldn't even _be_ in this situation. She wasn't strong enough to be anyone's hero, because there was nothing special about her.

She was sobbing. Marinette could feel the tears flowing down her face, and her vision blur. She didn't even attempt to wipe them away. _Paris doesn't need a hero that bawls her eyes out._ Because if she hadn't done what she did… if she hadn't…

"Plagg… I told you, I'm just not cut out to be Chat Noir." she sniffed.

"Wait, Marinette…"

But she was met with a deafening silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow, Adrien Agreste had snuck out of the mansion.

Ok, maybe he was a superhero now, but none of that ever mattered to the eyes-of-a-hawk-Nathalie, who never let him out of her sight.

He kind of felt bad, because his father would probably yell at her and this driver for losing track of Adrien. Oh well, it was her job to keep track of him, and it was his job to act his age, and do what he wanted.

"Adrien! This is so exciting! Your first day of school!" Tikki exclaimed from beside him, taking up a spot near his side as he ran towards the school. He really appreciated Tikki's company lately, just because she was always so honest and nice with him all the time. In Adrien's experience, you never really met honest people with good intentions. He could tell that she really did want what was best for him (even though she was a bit hesitant about him running away to begin with), and she was one of the only beings he'd met since his mother's disappearance that had treated him like a human being.

"Yeah, I'm pretty nervous. You think people will like me?" He answered, giving the kwami a sidelong glance. He continued his light jog towards the school at a steady pace.

"Of course! You're Ladybug, the luckiest guy in the city! Everyone's going to love you, Adrien."

The next day, she came to school with the unlucky Miraculous in her satchel. Before she left, she remembered what Plagg said about Ladybug needing Chat Noir to defeat the akuma, so she decided that someone else needed to wield the Miraculous.

Couldn't be too difficult

Plagg also told her that she was the only one that could wield it, but honestly, if she could wear the miraculous, anyone could. Didn't seem to matter anymore.

Despite everything that happened in the past day, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to more mundane things. Would she have Chloe Bourgeois in her class for the third year in a row? With her bad luck, she wouldn't even be surprised. She continued to draw nearer and nearer to her homeroom, and she grew more anxious. She didn't quite understand why she was nervous, school would probably be just the same as the year before that, and the year before that. Something was different she felt, but she chalked it up to her horrible day yesterday. Marinette reached the door, and took her first step. Her blue eyes flitted across the room, searching. Seeking, she forgot what she was looking for. Even in this typical classroom, she felt abnormal, and out-of-place. She didn't belong all of sudden. That first step through that door reminded her that she was bestowed a power that she wasn't strong enough for. It felt as though the entire classes eyes were on her, knowing what she was afraid of, all her darkest secrets. She shifted as if to avoid, and and in her action, her eyes caught Alya's. She remembered Alya at the stadium during Ladybug and Chat Noir's appearance, putting herself in danger despite the odds stacked against her. Alya loved superheros; she was kind, forgiving, and dauntless. She would be a great Chat Noir. With that thought, the weight on her shoulders was forgotten, as she stepped with purpose towards her best friend. Of course, that's what she wanted to do, but the universe seemed to constantly remind her that what she wanted was not what she got. She tripped, and the world spun; Marinette hit the ground hard, for the second time that week.

Blue eyes blinked. She didn't remember the floor being this warm. Upon further inspection, she saw green eyes and blonde hair beneath her, and she was was frozen as a sense of deja vu overtook her.

"I know I'm new, but I didn't expect for you to fall for me so quickly."

Under normal circumstances, she would of been a blushing mess. Don't get her wrong, but this boy was definatly 1000% her type. But all she could see when she looked down was Ladybug. Her pun loving partner was also kind, and fearless- just like she wanted to be. He was also cocky, just like the green eyes that stared back up at her. She needed to stop staring into his eyes that drew her closer, and she involuntarily rolled her eyes as she stood up.

"Please, I've heard better." She smirked, pushing herself up off the ground and leaving the new kid to openly stare at her. Distancing herself, Marinette took her seat next to Alya. The girl looked at her, completely bewildered by the strange performance on the classroom floor. She deserved a long explanation: "It's been a long morning."

"I'll bet. That new guy you just shot down is Adrien Agreste, the model."

Marinette stared at Alya. "Are you serious?"

Unbeknownst to Marinette, Alya only stared back, probably wondering what had her in such a mood. In fact, Marinette was so out of it, she didn't even notice Chloe Bourgeois in the seat across from her.

Figures.

"Oh Adrikins! I'm so glad you're here at school! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, at now fate has let us see each other _every single day_!" The girl said, obnoxiously loud. Marinette sat there, quiet as she watched the new kid and Chloe interact. He was obviously uncomfortable about the close contact with the girl on his arm, and his efforts seemed impossible to get her off. Marinette laughed internally; finally, someone with worse luck than her. You'd absolutely have to be the unluckiest person in all of Paris to have Chloe Bourgeois permanently glued to your side.

With a loud rap on the table, the teacher called order to the class, and everyone took their seats. Marinette noticed with a bit of sadness that Adrien, the new kid, took a seat at the back. She thought back to the box stowed away in her bag, and the power of misfortune it carried within. Adrien Agreste was by far one of the luckiest people she knew, and boy, did she know him. He was the son of one of the most renowned fashion designers, Gabriel Agreste, the inspiration for most of her own works of fashion. Though she never paid much attention to the son of her idol, she knew the boy had it all- looks, money, prestige, and of course, friends. But what Marinette saw today was not at all what she thought it would be. Adrien Agreste didn't seem to have any friends at all despite his popularity. Chloe Bourgeois counts as a negative friend.

Maybe there was someone more misfortune than Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

In the middle of roll call, an entire wall of the classroom was removed.

Immediately, Adrien knew that Stoneheart was back, just as Tikki explained to him. It was his fault, he wasn't listening and forgot the very crucial detail of _making sure the damn monster didn't come back again_.

In the mass panic of his new class, Adrien stealthily slid out of the room to the bathroom where he could transform. He opened his bag, and looked down at the kwami. "Tikki-"

"Wait, Adrien!" The kwami emerged, waving her small legs frantically.

"Someone dropped this into your bag right when the classroom exploded!"

The small ladybug held up the box of the miraculous, the one he received only a day ago.

"What on earth? How did someone get a hold of this...? He stated, inspecting the box. He opened it, and looking further. There was a note inside, along with a ring.

 _Chat Noir_

The note didn't say anything else, leaving only questions, with no answers. Did Chat Noir know who Ladybug really was? That wasn't even the most confusing question, why would Chat Noir give Ladybug her Miraculous? According to Tikki, Ladybug and Chat Noir could only defeat the akuma together. He looked to his small kwami, and she wore a similar expression of worry.

"This can't be good."

It seemed that giving away the Miraculous was already doing wonders for her luck, because Marinette made it out of the classroom unscaved(which in of itself was truely miraculous). She wasn't quite sure where to take cover, and with Alya running around like a hooligan in the dangerous streets of Paris, she decided to try to get as far away from Stoneheart as possible, and headed out of the school and away from her Bakery.

What she quickly forgot was that there was, in fact, more than one Stoneheart now (no thanks to her). Multiple Stonehearts were patrolling the streets, searching for something, and instead spotted her. She quickly turned heel into a nearby shop, as the minions took on a frightening speed in her direction.

Taking cover behind a wall, she fought hard to quiet her heavy breathing as the Stonehearts poked their heads into the small shop, searching. All was quiet, and the silence that embraced the room was deafening. She heard retreating thunderous footsteps, and she waited a moment before taking a heavy gasp of air. Just as she thought she was in the clear, a stone hand punched through the wall next to her and caught her around her midsection.

"MYLEEENEEE"

She was forced out into the open as the minion Stonehearts hand felt as if it were crushing her. The air she had just breathed in startlingly left her like a deflating balloon, and she was left tired and disoriented.

God dammit.

If she was Chat Noir right now, this probably wouldn't hurt as bad, or feel as scary. But she locked Plagg back in the box he came in, and now she was all of the above.

Marinette Dupain Cheng had no one to blame but herself, as the stone monster flung her down the Parisian street way.

She closed her eyes, and let her body fall limp. Now, it was probably up to Chat Noir to save her.

Before she felt the burning of terminal velocity pavement, she felt two strong arms wrap around her. If it was Ladybug, she was going to fucking kill…

It was Ladybug.

Because of physics, they were both now traveling at terminal velocity, but now they were headed straight towards a large factory window. Glass shattered, as Ladybug took the brunt of the impact and they tumbled to the concrete floor.

She glared at her captor. If she had hit the pavement, at least she wouldn't have been the damsel in distress.

Ladybug slowly rose, and she noticed several things from her position on the floor that she had no desire to get up from. His face was bleeding (Glass is sharp. Was she bleeding too?) and his arm hung limply at his side in pain. The last thing Marinette noticed was the five Stonehearts forcing their way into the factory, and the last last thing she noticed was the green backpack with a small box inside it.

Did Ladybug take Adrien's backpack? How did Ladybug know she gave away her Miraculous?

Questions became irrelevant, as two Stonehearts seemed to travel at inhuman speeds towards the duo. Ladybug took up a defensive stance, or, well, as defensive as one could be with a broken arm.

"Marinette! Get out of here!"

Ladybug screamed, facing the danger head on.

It didn't even matter that Ladybug had a broken arm, or that he was bleeding red so dark it matched his red suit. Ladybug had a broken arm, blood in his eyes, and no partner, and he was still fighting, still trying to protect Paris.

Was that a hero was? Someone who fought, no matter the odds, no matter the stakes? With all hopes of Paris upon his shoulders, he did not fall. Ladybug was not afraid.

"WHERE IS MYLENE? WE KNOW YOU HAVE HER SOMEWHERE….. LADYBUG!"

"She clearly ran away when she saw your ugly mug, brick head. Why don't you go pick on someone your own size, like the Eiffel Tower?"

The first Stoneheart swung at Ladybug, and he easily dodged. The second fainted, but the third came from behind, landing a solid hit before Ladybug could block with his yo-yo. Ladybug crumpled like paper meters away from her; his arm broken, his body tired. His yo-yo skidded off to god knows where, and he made eye contact with the startled eyes.

Marinette was wrong, Ladybug wasn't fearless. In his deep green eyes, she saw what he was afraid of, she saw his pain. Maybe they were the same, maybe they were different. His eyes screamed at her to run as his mouth moved wordlessly, and that's when she felt something in her heart break.

She still didn't know what it meant to be a real hero of Paris, and she was afraid of how it would change her life. But in that sharp moment, a lifetime; when a Stoneheart was closing in and Ladybug just kept _looking_ at her, like he could see past her skin and view what lay underneath; she knew she could no longer sit by and wait for someone else.

In one fluid, effortless motion she reached for the bag and threw open the all too familiar box.

"Plagg, Claws Out!"


	3. Chapter 3

Adrien Agreste had seen a lot in his life.

He saw his mother leave, his father consumed by his work; He'd seen all of fashion, and the west side of Europe.

But what he saw before his eyes he had never seen before.

The girl in his class- Marinette- had leapt in front of him, and was encased in a bright spectrum of light. It was suddenly becoming difficult to comprehend, everything was moving so fast, and everything was falling out of place. His partner was here, when he'd just had the black cat Miraculous? Too many questions, no time for answers.

And maybe he was wrong, maybe he had seen this before. When Adrien transformed into Ladybug, he remembered the same magical coursing light that surrounded him.

But this was different, somehow. He was seeing something unexpected, from an entire new angle. Marinette, the sassy, pun-hating girl from his homeroom class was most likely Chat Noir. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if his eyes were deceiving him or not. It wasn't even registering in his mind, the same way that you learn something in your childhood that you find out 10 years later to be completely false. When Adrien signed on to all this superhero nonsense, he always figured he would never know the identity of his heroine partner. But suddenly, in an instant, everything felt right, like something was always there.

Blue eyes that simmered now glowed behind a black leather mask, and Adrien found that he liked Marinette's hair down much better than when it was up. Even her posture took on a cat-like stance, as her fingers curled in and her tail lashed side to side.

"Cataclysm!" She shouted, she raised a dangerous paw(?) and destruction rained down about. She was deadly, and there was a burning fire in her eyes that made him glad she was on his side. In fact, everything about her seemed lethal; her narrowed eyes, her fixed gaze. Even her defense posture, that stood in front of him, leaving no openings…

But the reality of the situation came crashing back to him when those vicious eyes looked back at him, and he abruptly stood on his feet. It was as if those very eyes commanded him, pushed him to keep fighting.

Two Stoneheart minions crumpled, but there were still three left in front of him and most likely hundreds more in the streets of Paris. He turned to fight alongside Marinette, as a piercing noise tore across the city.

SCREEEEEEEEEEE

He covered his ears, but Chat Noir crumpled to the floor in agony. Sensitive hearing? The three Stonehearts turned to the obnoxious sound, and as it stopped they immediately left the demolished shop without a second glance backwards.

Well, that was lucky.

"We should probably follow them." Chat Noir said, so sure of herself. He wasn't sure what happened to her eariler, in the midst of all the confusion, but he could tell now that she was doing just fine.

He turned and looked at her, concerned. "Marinette… you'll be turning back soon…."

She gave him a strange look, probably wondering how she knew her name. Whoops.

"I'm not running away this time. I got us into this mess, and _we'll_ get ourselves out." She said, resolve in her eyes. Did she really believe it was her fault he forgot to purify the akuma? He wanted so badly to correct her-

"My... _lady_ " She said with a barking laugh, taking off to the Parisian city

 _God dammit_ , he thought. That really got on his nerves. He didn't know what a male Ladybug was called, but no take-backsies. He continued after his partner through the city, following the trail of minion Stonehearts at the speed that rivaled the speed of sound (or so he thought).

He winced. It was difficult maneuvering through the city with his left arm. In the heat of the moment, he completely forgot his arm was broken, and that there was blood in his eyes.

But it was easy to trail after Marinette's figure throughout the chaos.

The trail of stone monsters lead to the Eiffel tower, where they all congregated around the akumatized Ivan. Something lay clutched in his hand, as he took on the police and military that soon had him surrounded.

Ladybug landed next to Chat Noir on a nearby building.

"Looks like Ivan found Mylene."

"What? Are you serious?" Adrien did a double take. Turns out his short statured classmate was in Ivan's grip. "This can't be good."

Adrien Agreste jinxed luck on that very day, because that's exactly when shit started to get real. The hundreds of stone minions that clustered around Stoneheart crumpled and were drawn towards him, as if pulled by gravity. Stoneheart grew to four times his original size, a height that rivaled the Eiffel Tower itself.

"What's the plan, lady?" Chat Noir cut in.

"You know that's really not fair-"

"Alright, Alright." she smiled, her hands held up as if in a peace offering. "Like last time, the akuma is in his right hand. Mylene is already in his left, and he probably won't fall for the same trick as last time. Hmmm…" Chat Noir finished, contemplating. A cunning smile pulling across her features.

"What is it?" He asked, partially afraid.

"Lets throw you off the top of the Eiffel Tower."

* * *

Helicopters circled the scene, as a large Stone man lay siege next to the Eiffel Tower. Their cameras were focused on the main attraction, but Marinette knew that she and her Ladybug themed partner would soon be within that same sight.

This time, she wasn't afraid. With the skimpy piece of leather across her face, and her hair blowing in the wind, she wasn't afraid. She always feared that when people looked at her as Chat Noir, they could see right through her facade, to the scared, timid girl beneath. And now, someone did know her identity, her partner. She cast him a sidelong glance, and blue met green eyes. Only day two, and someone already knew who she was.

Marinette never said she was _good_ at being a superhero.

But if we're being quite honest here, it's amazing enough that she was in fact _here_ , standing once again on the top of a building, in this god awful leather suit.

And if she were being really honest with herself, she couldn't lie that her partner certainly wasn't lacking in the attractive department. Really, if it had to be anyone, at least if was the resident hottie that knew her secret identity.

No, if she weren't lying to herself, Ladybug (god, he needed a new name) was one of the most attractive people she had ever met, and she had been to THREE fashion shows. In her opinion, it wasn't too easy making red and black spandex look good.

Trust her.

"Now!" Her partner shouted, signalling their plan. This time, they flew into action as a single unit, no one leading the other and no questions asked. They knew what they were both getting into now, and now they both knew each other. Marinette extended her baton and swiftly cut across the distance to Stoneheart, landing atop a scenic observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. She saw Ladybug weaving about in the distance, but for now she focused on Ivan.

"Stoneheart? Yoo-whoo?" She waved her arms about, attempting to grab his attention. As if he were a block of granite, he slowly turned to her. "This black cat up heres gonna cause you some serious trouble if you don't _cat_ -ch meeee…"

Stoneheart let out a low rumbling growl. She extended her baton twice into his nose (do rocks breathe?) poking him from a distance and aggravating the stone monster.

"Wow, if I had to guess now, I'd say you were _stoned_ …" She commented haughtily, weaving about his head

"Once I retrieve your Miraculous, Chat Noir, you'll no longer stand in the way of what I want!"

With a great leap, Ivan moved the note from his clenched right hand to his stone mouth, and began to scale the side of the Eiffel Tower. Heading towards her at a startling speed, Chat Noir lost her balance as the entire Tower shifted with the weight. Falling, Marinette caught hold of a low hanging radio antenna, and was now eye to eye with the beast.

Despite her fear, she continued, "Crossing the path of a Chat Noir is seven years of bad luck, you know."

The sound of high racing line pierced the air, as Ladybug's yo-yo (trademark) pinned Stoneheart's empty hand to one pillar of the tower. Her heart was pounding as the stone fist with Mylene clutched in it retaliated, and instead came barreling towards her. With no other options, she lept away from the accelerating force and towards the safe zone of Ivan's head. Once close, she extended her baton in his mouth and the note dropped from his stony teeth, hurling towards the ground. She reached to catch it, but was suddenly shocked out of her action by an ear-piercing screech.

"EEEEEEEEKK SOMEBODY HELP!"

Chat Noir was frozen in place as Mylene, no longer in Ivan's grip, was also crashing towards the ground. Crossed between her friend and the akuma, she was suddenly caught of gaurd.

"Lucky Charm!" She heard from above her. Looking up, she was blinded by the sun, but could make out a small, approaching figure. Red and black zoomed past her, and she realized-

Ladybug.

"No! Ladybug! She reached out for him, but he too slipped through her grip. He didn't have his yo-yo….

She watched in horror as her partner continued to spiral down after the girl. She was shock out of her stupor as Ivan was back in fighting mode, and swinging across at her again. She had to trust her partner, as he trusted her. She extended her baton and went after the akuma, catching it with the end of her trusted weapon. The akuma in had, and her ring beeping, she looked over, she saw Ladybug

.

With

.

A

.

 _Parachute_

 _._

Jesus fucking Christ, give her a heart attack.

She landed on the ground near her partner, the adrenaline of him ALMOST DYING (she thought) still coursing through her veins. Ivan came down after her, but as she tore the paper in half his monstrous form disintegrated and left a boy dazed and confused. She glanced over at her suicidal partner and gave him a pointed look, and it was clear as day the "ah-hah" moment that flashed across his face. Reaching through the rubble of the akuma (she wanted to call him Ivan the Terrible) Ladybug retrieved his yoyo™ and de-evilized the akuma.

She turned on him, back in her joking mood. "First of all, I'm pretty sure ' _de-evilize_ ' is not a word. Second-" she slapped him over the head.

"Ow!" he claimed, clutching his head.

"I think the entire point of this superhero business is that you _don't_ throw away your only weapon!?" She explained, exasperated.

He looked guilty for a second, before a look came across his face. "Why, does it _bug_ you?" He said with a sly look. Her eyes narrowed, as she raised a clawed hand.

"I _will_ Cataclysm you…"

Before she could finish, Mylene approached Ladybug and Chat Noir in the midst of their banter.

She turned and looked at her friend, who was clearly still in shock from the whole situation. "I just wanted to say thanks, to the both of you, Ladybug and Chat Noir…." She trailed off, uncertain of herself. "And I know that you're receiving a lot of criticism for the akumas, from the news and the media. And I just wanted you to know, that despite what they say, you'll always be _my_ heros." She finished, her hand clasped in front of her and her eyes down cast. Her eyes glanced up at the two, "Thank you."

Marinette wasn't sure that to say at first. In her opinion, The akuma was dealt with quite sloppily, and they did almost drop poor Mylene. But despite the terror, and the uncertainty they caused because of her own insecurities, Mylene was… grateful?

Before she could comment, Ladybug leaned in and pulled Mylene into a sideways hug. "That's quite alright Miss. It's our job, after all."

Marinette looked away, and took off before the police and paparazzi could close in on them.

She didn't miss the sidelong glance that Ladybug shot her.


End file.
